Process of separating finely-divided material.



No. 826,411. PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

F. E. ELM-ORB.

PROCESS FOR SEPARATING FINELY DIVIDED MATERIAL. APPLICATION FILED JULY10, 1905.

[771,72 Ca Z, .77 ZY/Z are FRANCIS EDWARD ELMORE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PROCESS FOR SEPARATING FlNELY-DIVIDED MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed July 10,1905. Serial No. 269,127.

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANCIS EDWARD EL- MORE, electrometallurgist, asubject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 4 Broad Street Place,in the city of London, England, have invented a certain new and usefulProcess for Separating Finely-Divided Material by Causing it to Rise orFloat in a Liquid, of which the following is a specification.

Processes of separation have been devised which depend upon thecircumstances that under certain conditions some of the 1particles of afinely-divided mixture rise or oat in a li uid, while others sinktherein. Among arti ficial conditions for bringing about such aseparation is mixing a pulp of the finely-di vided material with animmiscible liquid, such as tar or oil, with soap or the like,or with analkali, an acid, air, or a gas, or with any of the aforesaid substancesin conjunction with each other.

In the specification of my British Patent No. 13,578 of 1904 I havedescribed subjection of the liquid to the action of an electric currentas one method of attaining the desired flotation of certain particles.

By the present invention all such processes are im roved, moreparticularlyin the respect t at a smaller proportion of the addedsubstance, such as oil or acid, may be used, by conducting them whollyor in part under a reduced pressure. For instance, a vacuum or partialvacuum may be maintained in the separating vessel or chamber.

The invention does not include any particular form of a paratus, but theaccompanying drawing il ustrates in vertical section a suitable form.

a is a vat (constructed of a suitable material to withstand any chemicalaction of the contained liquid) whose conical cover I) rests on a washer0, supported by the flange 11 on the vat. The summit of the cone isperforated and has a flange e, which forms a circular channel f aroundthe summit, wherefrom is an escape-pipe g, dipping at its lower end intothe vat h. A shoulder on the flange 6 receives a washer t, on whichrests a bell k, preferably of glass.

At the bottom of the vat a is a circumferential channel I, having anescape-pipe m, the lower end of which di s into a vat n. Through astuffing-k0? 0 at tlie center of1 the bottpm passes a s at 1), car a uleran a rake of suitable matei iit l wliich i revolved by the pulley inany suitable manner. The teeth 0 this rake extend to within a shortdistance of the bottom of the vat, with the exception of the two endteeth, which extend to within a short distance of the bottom of thecircumferential channel 1.. The pipe t, the lower end of which dips intoa vat a, delivers pulp above the rake at a greater rate than theescape-pi e m can carry it away, so that a part of the l iquid escapesthrough the summit of the cone into the away by the pipe g. The cover 7cis fitted with a baflie-plate a: to prevent splashes being carried intothe pipe o, which is connected to anexhauster or air-pump. If the vats hand n be filled with water and the vat a be filled with the pulp to betreated together with the separating medium and a suction be appliedthrough pipe t, the vat a will be filled from vat u, the relativeheights of the vats h,.n, u, and a having been properly adjusted tosecure this. The pipes g, m, and t may be fitted with cocks or valvesfor regulating the flow or the lengths of the respective pipes may bemade adjustable.

By means of the air-pump or exhauster a suitable minus pressure ismaintained in the vat a, and a continuous passage through vat a ofmaterial to be treated is secured by proper regulation. As the particlesto be separated ass through vat a. some of them settle on tile bottomand are transferred by rake s to trough Z and thence by pipe m to vat-'n. Other of the particles ascen in vat a and pass away with more orless of the liquid through the perforation in the summit of the conicalcover I), thence to the channel f, and by pipe 9 to vat h.

I claim-- A process of separating certain constituents of finely-dividedmaterial consisting in mixing the material with a li uid and a substancethat has a selective aiiinity for some of the constituents, subjectingthe mixture to a ressure below that of the atmosphere and co lecting theparticles floated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

lFRANCIS EDWARD ELMORE. Witnesses:

JOSEPH MILLARD, WALTER J. SKEBTEN.

channel f and IOC

